(Historical Tragedy! 10310 troubadour Another Melody (Comedy) 10312 Don I Drink the Water (Comedy, not mcl in Works} Most of the works were originally performed in Fremen, and may indeed have been corn posed in that language, in which al-Harba was fluent His native tongue, however, was the Yorban dialect of Oalach, and it is thought by some that the translation into' Galaeh of the Works is not a translation at all, but al-Harba's original version of the plays, which he then used as the basis for the Fremen versions Al Harba's deep insight into hu inanity, his understanding of society m its virtues and vices, and above all his profound compassion have made him a writer not of an age, but for all time WEM Further references' THE AL HARBA QUESTIQK Blugvor Evmiiz ed , The Compku Worts if Htirq at-Harta (Gfumman Tern), Shuuralz H Sbtttak, Tfo Stage History ^ai-Harfxj'jPtosdjlramann Pi,"rec)M"uita Stand Al Harba 3 Arrakeat (Gnunmaa fan), the stesdaid biography AL-HARBA QUESTION, THE If Harq, al Harba the playwright had not been such * supreme embodiment of the dramatist's art, if what we know of the biography of Harq al-Harba the mimfilm salesman had not been so little and if what we do know had not seemed at odds with the qualities we associate with genius, there probably would never have been an al Harba Question Other humble people have nsen to greatness and even less is known about some of the great Atreideans than is known about the Yorban dramatist But the interplay of these three factors was certain sooner or later to lead astra) minds with a peculiar cast of thought How, they asked, could the salesman and the poet have been the same man'' It was not until 10630, more than three hundred years after al Harba s death that anyone challenged his authorship of the plays that bore his name The controversy began with Avelarad Svif Josif a minor noble of House Rembo, who expressed doubts that a salesman could have possessed the ability to write the plays credited to him This reserva tion was expounded at length by Kurt Zhuurazh, who asserted, in his Al Ada and al Harba (10635) that Harq al Ada (Farad n Comno) was the true author of the plays Admirers of the Royal Scribe have attributed various other Atreidean works to him and the most liberal adherents of the theory cred it him with (besides al Harba's plays) Pander Oulson's St Aha Huntress of a Billion Worlds Duncan Idaho's The Ghola Speaks and The Hayt Chronicle and all the works of Pnn cess Irulan to this considerable total, Cybele Hank (The Prince/The Playwright) adds the authorized translation of the O C Bible and even Stilgar's Chronicle in Fremen Thirty years passed (10666) before an other contender was proposed J T Duub nominated Count Hasimir Fennng in Half a Dozen Harbas Duub s chief obstacle was Fennng's death in 10225, twenty one years before Harq al Harba was born but as we shall see, this proved no insuperable obstacle to Fennng s proponents A third powerful contingent entered the field in 10710, when A J Knlwan claimed (m The Man Who Was al-Harba) that the plays were actually written by the emperor LetoII COMMON ARGUMENTS All these schools of thought share certain arguments denigrating the reputed author Harq al Harba These AL-HARBA QUESTION AL HARBA QUESTION arguments received their fullest expression in Al-Ada is al Harba (10638), a handsome volume by a retired aimy officer from Kartain, Bsh Joon Futpinail He starts with the skimpi-ness of the documentary evidence for al Harba, questioning the likelihood that the foremost dramatist of the day would have left so little trace He men adds four objections, which have reappeared in all later claims 1.